Machine for grinding grain



Jan. 12 1926.

G. E. MILLER MACHINE FOR GRINDING GRAIN Filed NOV.

25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ...I l lfllllllll INVENTOR WITNESSES @/m05ATTORNEYS Patentedl Jan. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAF E. MILLER, 0F STRATTON, NEBRASKA.

MACHINE FOR. GRINDING GRAIN.

Application led Novemberk 25, 1924. Serial No. 752,172.

and arrangements Vherein described andclaimed., A 0

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, reliable andefiicient machine of the character described which affords facilitiesfor grinding, cracking or crushing grain rapidly and uniformly.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a machine of thecharacter described which will discharge the ground, crushed or crackedgrain for delivery to any desirable place.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying theinvention, showing a feed dcflecting hood associated with the outletthereof,

Figure 2 is an elevation of the structure exhibited in Figure 1, theview being taken at right angles to Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section through the structureexhibited in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figurel 2, with the hood omitted, i

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the machine with a feed elevatingconduit associated with the outlet thereof,

Figure 6 is an elevation of the structure exhibited in Figure 5,`theview being taken at right angles to Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the grating which isreferred by me for use at the outlet of t e casing of the machine,

Figure 8 is a longitudinal vertical section through the grating.

In carryin out the invention I provide a substantia y 'drum-shapedcasing comprising a substantially cylindrical body-1 rovided at itsopposite ends with end memers 2 and 3 respectively.` The end mem-.portions ber 2 is formed with a central circular open.- ing 4 whichconstitutes the inlet of the casing.' The cylindrical body 1 is providedwith an opening 5 which preferably terminates at its lower end atabout-the level of the axial line of the casing. A fan 6 having radialblades 7 which terminate at their outer ends in proximity to but shortof the inner wall of the cylindrical body 1 is rotatably supportedwithin the casing in concentric relation to the latter in any suitableknown manner, as by being secured on a shaft 8 which extends into thecasing through a central opening in the end meinber 3, the shaft beingrotatable and terminating within the casing short of the plane v of theend member 2, as is usual in blower fan constructions.

n The outlet opening 5 is covered by agrat- -ing 9 which may have themarginal'edge' portions thereof `disposed against the inner face of theportion of the cylindrical body 1 which margins the outlet opening 5 butwhich obviously may be disposed in a like position at the outer side ofthe cylindrical body. The grating 9 is attached to the cylindrical bodyby bolts 10 and nuts 11, the bolts IO-eXtending from within the casingthrough aligned openings in lapped of the grating and cylindrical bodyand the nuts being screwed on the outerends of the bolts, as shown. Thebolts 10 and of course the nuts therefor may vary in number as desired.In the drawings. I show two bolts 10 at the upper end of the outletopening and Vtwo bolts 10 at the lower end of the outlet opening butobviously I may make use of a greater or less number of bolts, ifdesired.

I prefer to make use of a grating 9 having perforations 12 formedtherein by striking portions of the grating body inwardly to form guardlips indicated at 13 for the respective perforations 12. The endportions of the guard lips 13 are disposed in offset relation to thebody of the grating and radially inward of theperforations 12 so thatthe yguard ribs prevent flow in a -straight radialdirection from thespace within the casing through the perforations but permits entrance tothe perforations 12 from the interior of the casing at one side.

vThe guard lips 13 are turnedwithin the feed is fed into the spacerotating fan as they are swung inthe arc of a circle within the casingby the rotation of the fan. v

While the grating just described is that preferred by me, I do not wishto be restricted to the use of the specicy grating but can make use ofgratings or screens of various descriptions and having perforations ofvarious sizes and configurations and each provided with a guard lip orwithout a uard lip, as will be more ully understood rom the followingrecitation of the operation of the machine.

The operation of the machine is substan. tially as follows: The grainthat is to be' ground, cut, cracked or crushed to provide within thecasing through the inlet opening 4 and is struck by the fan blades. Anysuitable known means may be employed tov feed ain through the inletopening` 1, and I t erefore have not illustrated or described anyparticular means for feeding the grain through the opening 4 into thecasing of the device. The impact of the quickly moving .fan blades onthe grain tends to break or cut the individual grains and as the fanrotates the whole grains and the portions of grain are thrown at highvelocity against the grating and will be further broken and crackedbecause of vthe impact thereof against the grating, particularly in viewof the provision of the guard lips at the inner side of the grating. Theportions of grain which are suiciently small to pass through theapertures 12 will be forced therethrough as the fan rotates, bothbecause of pressure therea ainst as other grains are thrown and usheoutwardly against the grating b the an blades and because of the force'o Athe air blasts which are caused by the rotation of the fan in thecasing. The grains which are not broken or ground between the rotatingfan blades and the grating' suiciently Asmall to pass through theperforations 12 as a result of the initial impact with the grating willbe carried around within the casing `by the rotating fan and will bethrown and pressed against the grating 10 until they are suliicientlysmall to pass outward from the 'casing through the perforations 12.

' The matter which passes through the perforations 12 may be deflectedor conducted to any desirable place. In Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, I showa deflecting hood, indicated generall at 14, which is attached to thecasing of t e device in position to deflect the matter which passesthrough the perforations 12 downwardly. The hood may comprise a pair ofparallel side members 15 which straddle the ends of the vcasing at thesides of the openings 5 and are connected at their outer ends by an endmember 16 and at their upper ends by a top member 17. The outer endmembers 16 and the top member 17 may be integral with the side members15 and also may be joined integrally with one another, as shown. rlhetop member 17 is separated from the side members 15 for a slightdistance from the inner end of the hood by incisions which extend alongthe side edges of the top member from the inner Vend of the latter, thusproviding an attaching end portion 17a which is secured to the body 1 ofthe casingof` the device by the same bolts and nuts 10 and 11respectively which areused to secure the upper end portion of thegrating y9 tothe body 1.

IVith the arrangement just -mentioned,'

matter passing through the perforations 12 into the hood will bedeflected downwardly through the opening between the lower ends of theouter end members 16 and the side members 15 of the hood and theadjacent portion of the body 1 of the device. The hood proper can bebent relatively to the attaching portion 17a along the line of junctureof the attaching portion 17a with the major portion of the top member 17to vary the distance between the lower end of the outer end member 16and the proximate portion o-f' the body 1 of the casing, whereby boththe direction of deflection o-the matter passing from the hood and theeffective area of the openingthrough which matter passes from the hooddownwardly can be varied within a considerable range.

In Figures 5 and 6, I show an arrangement .for conducting the matterwhich passes through the perforations 12 upwardl from the casing of thedevice. To this en I make use of a tubular conduit 18 whichis shtted andopened out for a short distance from its lower end to provide a pair ofside flaps 19 which are arranged in straddling relation to the ends ofthe casing of the device at the side of the opening 5. `Vertical wallsofthe conduit 18 are bent to position to closely overlie the body 1 bothabove and below the opening 5, as indicated at 20 and 21 respectivelyand are secured to the body- 1 of the casing by the same bolts and nutswhich are -used to secure Y the gratingy 9 to the body of the casing.Matter passingy 1'15 upwardly through the conduit 18 by the through theperforations 12 will be blown wind blasts from the fan 6 through theconduit 18 which of course may lead to any desirable place. j

For example, the machine can be used for elevating grain withoutgrinding, crushing or cracking it. For this use of the machine, theconstruction exhibited in Figures 5 and ,6 with the grating 9 omitted isemployed, the grain being blown fromthe fan casing through the elevatingconduit 18 to,y any de-` sired place. Y e

4Obviously, my invention 'is susceptible of embodiment in forms otherthan those illustrated in the accompanying drawing and I of thecyllndrical body i therefore consider as my own al1-such modilicationsand adaptations of the vforms of the device herein described as fairlfall within the scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim:-` i

1. A device of the character' described comprisin a casing having asubstantially cylindrica bod v and end members at the ends of the b y,one of said end members having a central inlet opening, Asaidcylindrical body being formed with an outlet opening, a fan mounted torotate within said casin in concentric relation to said c lindrica body,the ends of the blades o the fan assing'in proximity to the inner wallbut being spaced from the latter, and a grating covering said outletopening, said gratin comprislng a ipllate having portionsstruck'inwardly thereom at intervals throughout its area to provideperforations and inwardly extending guard lips-for the perforations,each of sai guard lipsl havin the free end thereof facing the outer enportion of each blade of the fan as that blade is 'moved close to theoutlet'openin ofthe casingV during the rotation of the an. 2. Al deviceof` the character described comprisin a casing having a substantiallycylindrica bod and end members at the ends of the bo y, one of said endmembersl having a central inlet opening, said cylindrical body being.formed with an outlet opening, a fan mounted to rotate within said casinin concentric relation. to said c lindricalP body, the ends of thebladeso .the fanv assing in proximity to the inner wall of. ecylindrical body but being spaced in the casin from the latter, an'd agrating covering said outlet opening, said grating com rising a platehaving portions struck inwar ly therefrom at intervals throughout itsarea to rovide dperforations and inwardly exten in guar lips for theperforations, each of vsai guard hps preventing radial ,movement ofvmatter from the center of the casing through said perforations butpermitting entrance to said perforations from the space within thecasing in a direction extending obliquely to radial lines from thecenter of the casing to said perforations.

3. A machine of the character described comprising a fan casing' havingan outlet opening inthe periphery thereof and having a lateral inlet, afan mounted to rotate witha grating covering the outlet opening, an inposition to deflect matter passing from the perforations of the gratingdownwardly from the casing, the body of said hood being adjustable inres ect to the casing to vary the direction of eflection of said matterfrom the ho'od and to vary the eective area of the space Iwithin saidhood between adjacent walls of the hood and fan casin 4. In a deviceofthe character described,- a grating comprising a plate havingportionsstruck laterally thereof at intervals throughout the area of the platethus providing perforations and guard lips therefor,

the free end portions of said guard lips being disposed in offsetrelation tothe body of the plate and partly covering said per.-forations. y

GUsTAF E'. MILLER.

a hood attached to said casing'

